THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NY & NJ

Press Release Article

PORT AUTHORITY PREPARED FOR MAJOR FRIDAY SNOWSTORM

Date: Feb 07, 2013Press Release Number: 16-2013

Extra personnel on duty at all facilities to handle weather conditions

The Port Authority is taking steps to handle the first major winter snowstorm of the year that is expected to begin tomorrow and continue into Saturday morning. The agency is deploying extra staff and assembling snow-fighting equipment to handle whatever wintry conditions may develop at its airports, seaports, tunnels, bridges and PATH system.

According to current forecasts, the New York-New Jersey region will see at least six inches of snow, with the heaviest amounts occurring late Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. The Port Authority will deploy extra personnel at all of its facilities, which is the normal course of operations during snow events. During the most severe storms, staff works around-the-clock in 12-hour shifts. The airports, bridges, tunnels and PATH have snow desks where key personnel analyze weather reports and deploy staff and equipment.

The Port Authority urges travelers to check with their carriers before going to the airport or bus terminals to confirm departure times. The agency also may impose speed restrictions on its crossings if weather conditions warrant.

The Port Authority’s winter weather arsenal includes:

More than 200 snow and ice equipment at its airports, including melters that can liquefy up to 500 tons of snow an hour and plows that can clear snow at 40 mph;

Approximately 60 pieces of snow equipment at the bridges and tunnels, including 28 trucks equipped with plows and spreaders at the George Washington Bridge, the world’s busiest vehicular crossing;

More than 2,000 tons of salt and more than 1,500 tons of sand for airport roads and parking lots, plus more than 2,000 tons of salt for the bridges and tunnels;

Approximately 300,000 gallons of liquid anti-icer chemicals at the airports, which prevent snow and ice from bonding to runways and taxiways, plus approximately 1,700 tons of solid de-icers, which break up snow and ice already on the ground;

Plow-equipped trains, liquid snow-melting agent trains and a “jet engine” plow to remove snow from tracks, and snow blowers. Plows and spreaders to clear station entrances, roads that serve PATH’s 13 stations, and various support facilities; and

Approximately 1,000 staff members and contractors with years of specialized training and professional experience in handling severe winter weather at transportation facilities.

CONTACT: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

212-435-7777

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in New York. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the state of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency relies on revenues generated by facility users, tolls, fees and rents as well as loans, bond financing, and federal grants to fund its operations. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.